THE TAURIXE WORLD
The cowboy and the old-time Western
"cattle king," as once known on the
range, have long since passed from view;
but we must make a detour to attain per
slective.
Great herds of Longhorn cattle moving
slowly northward from the Rio Grande
for the prologue! The dashing hero
villains of the "movies."
in picturesque
array ! The perils of the long, long trail!
The night-alarm and call to saddles, as
strange sounds or shadows in the dark
ness start the wild stampede! The cow
land "capitals," where six-shooters flour
ished as the bottle and the "deal" went
round ! The branding and the round-up
of the beef ! \lidsummer's burning suns
an(d (routh ! MRidwinter's blizzards !
\Volves waiting for their turn! Bleaching
bones of cattle! Gambling for big stakes
against elemental forces-all of these are
constituents out of which the story is
woven.
The Spanish Longhorns were first taken
to Mexico in 1521 by (overnor General
Villalobos, and were calves shipped from
Santo I)omingo, descended from the cat
tle brought from Spain to the West Indies
in the years immediately following the
voyage of Columbus.
'These must have
been succeeded by other shipments, for in
1538 Mendoza reported that cattle, horses,
and merino sheep, which he had imported
from Spain, were in good condition.
The early Spanish explorers of the
country north of the Rio Grande, includ
ing Coronado, Fray Marcos de Niza, and
Ofiate, took horses, cattle, and sheep into
that region, and these were undoubtedly
the first of their kind upon what is now
our Southwestern range.
All writers agree that the original cattle
stocks multiplied rapidly in New Spain.
That they invaded at an early (late the
fertile coastal plain, with its mild, even
climate, extending from the mouth of the
Rio Grande up along the western shore of
the Mexican Gulf, may be taken for
granted; but it was not until the Spanish
authorities undertook the development of
that country through a colonization policy
that we find authentic records. This was
about the year 18 0.
When Texas became one of the United
States, in 1845, and governmental affairs
became more stable, the importations of
first-class breeding stock, mainly Short
horn, from Missouri, Kentucky, and other
cattle-growing States did much to improve
the Longhorn. It is unfortunate that few
of the early writers took the trouble to
give the characteristics of the old Long
horn-Spanish stock. About the only de
scription recorded is that "they were a
wild, fierce breed, with huge horns, long
legs, and worth little or nothing to their
owners."
The Longhorns (see Color Plate XX)
were peculiarly adapted to the task of
leading the great advance into the higher
western latitudes and out upon the arid
grazing grounds of the Staked 'lain.
They possessed amazing energy and en
durance and had what may lbe termed
"cow sense."
When bands of mixed cattle were com
mon on the plains and deserts of the
West, it is worthy of note that the Long
horns led the herds in their migrations.
These cattle felt the "call of the wild,"
had weather wisdom, and knew where to
find grass and water. They were admir
able mothers, and their calves, sired by
"Durham" or Hlereford bulls, were ex
cellent.
AN EARLY "CATTLE BARON"
\hatever may have been their faults,
judged by the standards of latter-day
beef-makers, it must be said that the
Longhorns not only served every purpose
required of them at the time, but con
stituted the best possible material for use
by those who first sought to put cattle
ranches on the map of our new posses
sions.
The extension of United States au
thority over the Lone Star State and the
discovery of gold in California in 1848
resulted in an influx of population and
capital that soon exerted a stimulating ef
fect upon the production of cattle through
out southern and north-central Texas, as
well as beyond the Sierra Nevada. The
herds began to be valued for beef, as well
as for hides, horns, and hoofs; and thus
the infant industry of cattle-raising in a
commercial sense came into existence in
the Southwest.
Richard King, who had been a steam
boat captain during the Mexican \Var, en
gaged in the transportation of freights
(27